Conversations
by Soozen
Summary: In the very same town, but in two different mansions, the same conversation was being held between father and son, concerning marriage and Haruhi Fujioka.
1. Chapter 1

In the very same town, but in two different mansions, the same conversation was being held between father and son.

In the Suou home….

"Have you spoken with the Fujioka girl lately?"

Tamaki looked up from his dinner, to meet his father's gaze. The question had surprised him; sure, he'd spoken of Haruhi often at home, but he never thought his father had actually listened.

"Haruhi?" When his father nodded, confirming that they were thinking of the same girl, Tamaki continued, "Not for a couple of days."

That, unfortunately, was true. He'd graduated two years ago, and so the time they had together had been greatly decreased. They still saw each other on weekends, or whenever Tamaki decided to drop by her house unannounced.

* * *

In the Ohtori home…

"Kyouya, what do you think of Haruhi Fujioka?"

Kyouya blinked, his attention turned away from his laptop. His father had come into his room only a moment earlier, saying he had something to talk to him about.

"…She's a very strong girl," Kyouya said, choosing his words carefully. Why his father would bring her up was beyond him. "She's kind…intelligent…"

* * *

"She'll be graduating this year; am I correct?"

Why was his father asking him this? He was the superintendent of the school; if he wanted to know, he could easily have the information in a matter of seconds.

"Yes," Tamaki answered. "She'll be leaving the Host Club forever; the poor club shall have none of its original members left!"

"She'll be going off to college, I suppose?"

"Yes; her dream is to become a lawyer."

* * *

"Kyouya…you are nearing the age when it becomes time to get married."

Kyouya did his best not to show his surprise that his father was steering the conversation in this direction. Why his father was proposing that he and Haruhi…. It didn't make sense. She wasn't from a prestigious family; there was no wealth in her background at all.

"Have you given any thought to any girl in particular?"

* * *

"You two have gotten pretty close; I enjoy seeing her around the house."

Tamaki nodded enthusiastically. He had to agree with his father; it was so very nice to have Haruhi over. She didn't seem too comfortable with all the glamour they lived in, but she seemed to be warming up to it.

"I would like to see more of her."

* * *

Kyouya adjusted the position of his glasses. "I can't say I have."

"I thought as much." His father was standing at his bedroom window, staring out it. "I am very interested in this Haruhi Fujioka. I want the two of you to get married." He turned to face his son. "I've arranged for a meeting with her father next week, to discuss the engagement."

Kyouya adjusted his glasses again.

* * *

"What do you mean by that?" Tamaki asked.

"You two make a good pair," his father said. "She balances you out, keeps you in line when you get too dramatic. You two are to be married."

Tamaki dropped his fork.

"I've talked with her father; we're going to meet with him tomorrow to talk about your marriage."

"Does Haruhi know about this?"

His father paused a moment, thinking. "No, I don't think so."

* * *

And then, simultaneously, both sons said, "Cancel the meeting."

* * *

"What?"

Tamaki swallowed. "I could not ever try to marry Haruhi- my daughter!"

"You realize she is not really your daughter, Tamaki."

"I do," the son said, nodding. "But, I could never marry her, not without knowing for sure that she wants to marry me. Haruhi will marry when she wants to, with whoever she wants to. I won't get in the way of that."

* * *

"You don't want to marry her?"

"Whether I want to marry Haruhi or not has nothing to do with it," Kyouya said, shutting his laptop. He met his father's gaze. "I refuse to take part in an arranged marriage with her. She's not from a rich family; there is no reason to bring her into this. Our family will have no benefit from my marrying her."

"Perhaps not financially…but I do believe you would be happy with her."

Kyouya tried not to show his surprise in his father's words. How much had he revealed of his feelings for Haruhi? He thought he'd kept them close and secret….

"That may be," Kyouya said slowly, "but there's no telling if she'd be happy with me."

* * *

Well, this is my first time writing in this style; I know it seems a bit choppy, but it was intended that way.

I hope you enjoyed it!

Please leave some constructive criticisms.


	2. Chapter 2

Kyouya walked slowly up the steps of the apartment complex where Haruhi lived. It was three days after he'd had that conversation with his father about her, and for some reason, he hadn't been able to get his mind off of that topic. Marriage, that is. His wedding, with Haruhi as his intended bride.

It didn't bother him too much, picturing Haruhi as his wife. In fact, it didn't bother him at all. But that was the problem. He (if he was completely honest with himself) would greatly enjoy having Haruhi be his wife; Haruhi, he believed, would not enjoy it so much. She had dreams she wanted to accomplish, and if she became his wife, it might make it difficult for her to reach those goals. Women of high society were not supposed to have jobs; none besides running the household, which merely consisted of making sure all of the help were hard at work. Of course, Kyouya would never consider trying to force her to give up her dream of becoming a lawyer; but, she would be looked down upon by other members of society.

But he was getting ahead of himself. Haruhi wasn't betrothed to him at all, and wasn't even aware of his father's previous intentions. And, Kyouya planned on keeping it that way.

But, if he wasn't here to talk to Haruhi about hat, then why was he?

"Kyouya!"

He turned around, having reached the top of the staircase. The last person- well, maybe perhaps not _the_ last person, as this was where Haruhi lived, and there were definitely more people that Kyouya could think of that would never come here- was running up the steps to meet him; Tamaki Suou.

"Hello Tamaki," Kyouya said, giving his usual formal greeting. Since they'd graduated, the two of them had seen less of each other as they had different goals to meet. Kyouya was enrolled in a prestigious university, while Tamaki was taking classes in a well-respected art school. This, of course, didn't mean they never saw each other, but the time they did see each other had shrank down to only a few times a month.

"What're you doing here?" Tamaki asked, his usual grin on his face.

"I'm visiting Haruhi." Kyouya had begun walking again, heading to Haruhi's apartment door. Tamaki walked with him.

"I know that; why?"

"I was in the neighborhood," Kyouya answered calmly, hoping that the former Host Club president was as gullible as in their high school years.

Tamaki didn't fail him. "Really? Were you looking through the markets here? It's amazing how cheap the fruit and vegetables are here, and they almost taste as good as the ones my family buys."

"Hm." Kyouya nodded in response. "Why are you here?"

"Oh; I'm just visiting Haruhi," Tamaki said, still grinning. "I didn't see her at all this week or last week, so I thought I should pay her a visit."

They reached her door, and Tamaki knocked on it. After a moment, the door opened and there was Haruhi. Kyouya was a little shocked by her appearance; but really, there was no reason to be, because she looked just as she did while he was in high school. The same boyish haircut, and the same tomboy style of clothing. Maybe that's why he was a little surprised; after not seeing her for several months, you expect someone to change, at least a little.

"Tamaki- Kyouya!" Haruhi said, obviously surprised to see them. "What are you two doing here?"

"I was in the neighborhood," Kyouya said the same time Tamaki launched himself at Haruhi, squealing her name.

Kyouya stepped quietly into the apartment, as Tamaki had forced Haruhi backwards when he leaped upon her, hugging her tightly, despite her protests. It seemed nothing had changed since high school between them, and Kyouya found that strangely comforting. Probably because Haruhi was most likely as clueless about Tamaki's feelings for her as she was years ago.

"How have you been?" Kyouya asked as he stepped out of his shoes, remembering how she had told them to, the entire club, that is, back when they'd come to her house when Tamaki had had a nightmare concerning her.

"Fine," Haruhi said, finally getting out of Tamaki's grip. "School has been a little more stressful, what with trying to get into college."

"Haruhi's trying to get into the same school you're going to!" Tamaki added excitedly.

"It's a stretch, but I'm hoping I get in."

"I'm sure you will," Kyouya said, making a note to pull some strings for her. He doubted she'd need the help, what with her grades, but there was the problem of how much the school cost. With a few calls to the right people, he could secure her a great deal of financial aid and a scholarship or two.

Haruhi nodded a thank you, and said, "Do you want to sit down?" She gestured to the next room.

"Okay," Tamaki said, bounding in to sit at the table. Kyouya followed him in, while Haruhi lingered in the hall for a moment.

"Would you like anything to eat?"

Kyouya politely declined, while Tamaki eagerly said yes.

"You know what's weird?" Haruhi called in from the kitchen. "My dad got a call from both of your dad's this week, to cancel a meeting or something. He didn't know what the meetings were for, though. Do you?"

Kyouya immediately looked at Tamaki, shocked to hear that his father had also arranged a meeting with her father. Could it be for the same reason….? From the look he was receiving from the previous Host Club president, it appeared to be so. Tamaki looked shocked, and almost livid. He'd apparently figured out the reason why Kyouya's father had wanted to meet with Renge.

"No," Kyouya called back, keeping his eyes locked onto Tamaki's. "I don't." Tamaki looked like he was ready to explode; his face was growing read, and his hands were balled into tight fists.

"Calm down," Kyouya said quietly. "There's no need to get angry."

"You were going to try-"

"My father was going to try," Kyouya corrected. "Just like your father did."

"But you- you want to-" Tamaki was sputtering a bit, unable to get it all out.

From the kitchen, Haruhi asked if they would like some tea. Kyouya said that yes, they would, then turned back to his friend.

"No more than you do."

This, simply put, was not good. A rivalry was forming between them, just as a rivalry had formed between their fathers. Kyouya had hoped to avoid this, as they had been able to get along and compromise over everything, until this point.

Tamaki drew a shaky breath, obviously trying to compose himself. "I will not let anyone else have her," he hissed, finally.

Kyouya couldn't help but smile. If there was one thing he loved, that he thrived on, it was competition.

"Let the best man win her heart."

XxXxX

Second chapter done! I hope you enjoyed this.

Please leave constructive criticisms (especially concerning OOCness, as I'm worried about that)


	3. Chapter 3

Kyouya did what he did best; he researched.

Anything he could find about Haruhi, he jotted down. He'd gone through his notes from the Host Club, to see if anything of use was there, even if it hadn't seemed like anything at the time.

Kyouya liked to know things, and he liked to be sure of himself. The more he knew, the more confident he became. And so, by gathering information about Haruhi, he became more confident about winning her over. He became familiar with her likes and dislikes, her fears and ambitions.

This was where he lacked in comparison to Tamaki; Tamaki had a way of finding these things out on his own, very easily. He was a very empathetic fellow, despite how dense he could be at times, and this gave him a slight upper hand. But, unfortunately for Tamaki, he also annoyed Haruhi rather easily. But then again, Haruhi had gone to great lengths to have Tamaki stay with the club when he was going to go back to France.

Kyouya hated having these doubts. He knew, when it came down to it, it didn't matter what he and Tamaki did; Haruhi was strong willed, and would marry whomever she wanted. Proposing wealth and comfort would do nothing. Haruhi would marry whomever she loved.

Thoughts like these were slightly depressing. He knew they were true, but…he wanted her to be his. Rarely did he let himself indulge in the world of lust and love, but when it came to Haruhi, he couldn't help it. He wanted to win her heart.

But then again, he'd been a member of the Host Club, hadn't he? If there were any boys in all of Japan who knew how to win a girl over, it was himself and the rest of the club.

Surely he could find a way to her heart.

* * *

Tamaki, for once in his life, felt like a failure.

Never, in his life, had he met someone so immune to his charm.

He'd been so sure of himself that he'd be able to seduce Haruhi and have her finally realize her feelings for him. After all, he had been part of the Host Club- and not just a part of it, he'd been the president of the club. If anyone on this earth knew just what to say to a woman have her under his charm, it was Tamaki Suou.

But, for some reason, nothing he did affected Haruhi in the way he wanted.

He'd whispered loving things in her ear and dear promises; Haruhi had merely told him to stop buzzing in her ear, that she was trying to eat, instead of becoming light-headed with love.

He'd bought her a single red rose, an obvious symbol of his affection for her; Haruhi had merely thanked him, and then wondered aloud if she'd have a vase for it at home, instead of blushing in a very adorable way.

He'd taken her to a very expensive restaurant so that she could understand what she would have everyday if she'd only be his; Haruhi had fussed over how expensive the meal was and that it was too much, instead of thanking him profusely and planting a thank-you kiss on his cheek (or even better, on his lips).

Tamaki didn't know what to do. He'd always known how to win a woman over; it was the French in him, perhaps. But, now…he was clueless.

Haruhi was much different from any other girl he'd ever met, and that was her charm. She didn't fawn over him, she was smart, and goodness knows she was adorable.

But, damn was she frustrating.

Though he knew that the reason why his usual way of winning a girl over weren't working because she was different, part of him couldn't help but worry that Kyouya had all ready won her over. He knew that she would've told him, and he knew that Kyouya would've let him know as well, but he still couldn't help but worry.

It was harder to be so subtle with Haruhi now, too, now that there was someone else trying to date her. He was nervous, and because of that, he had become more outlandish, trying too hard.

In truth, Tamaki was torn. He wanted Haruhi to be happy more than anything, and if she would be happy with Kyouya, he'd step back, however heartbroken he would be. But, at the same time, he wanted her to be with him, and the thought of her with anyone else was downright sickening.

All in all, this was wearing Tamaki out; he was very close to losing his best friend over Haruhi, and he may not even end up with Haruhi in the end. There was no way he could win.

Tamaki flipped his cell phone open and dialed a very familiar number.

* * *

I hope you liked this chapter (and I'm surprised to see how many of you are rooting for Kyouya). There'll probably just another chapter or two until the end.

Please leave constructive criticisms.


	4. Chapter 4

Kyouya had been on his way to Haruhi's apartment to help her with an essay when Tamaki had called. Apparently, he'd been worried about their friendship and how competing for Haruhi's heart would affect their relationship. They'd talked for a few minutes, discussing everything, and had come to a conclusion or two. The two of them would do their best to keep their friendship, no matter what happened, and Kyouya honestly hoped that nothing would damage their friendship. As crazy and dramatic as Tamaki could be, Kyouya did value their friendship.

The essay that Haruhi needed help was for the university she was applying to, the university Kyouya was currently attending. As he'd been accepted, she was hoping he might be able to give her a few tips on the essay. Kyouya didn't want to tell her that part of the reason for why he was accepted was because of his family's financial situation, but he'd nonetheless decided to help her.

"Thank you for coming, Kyouya," Haruhi said when she let him in.

"It's no trouble at all." Kyouya followed her to her bedroom.

He looked around as Haruhi retrieved the essay. Surprisingly enough, her bedroom was painted a light shade of pink; he assumed that this was her father's doing. Her room was tidy, with a small shelf filled with books and a desk that was covered in what was obviously schoolwork.

"Here." Haruhi handed him the essay. "It's just a rough copy so it's okay if you want to mark it up."

Kyouya nodded in response, and sat down at her desk.

"Would you like some coffee or tea, Kyouya?"

"Tea, please," Kyouya asked, beginning to read.

Kyouya only read through it once. Her essay was perfect; with her grades and an essay like this, she'd be sure to be accepted. Haruhi hadn't returned with the tea; Kyouya considered going to meet her in the kitchen, but he was being given the prime chance to understand Haruhi even more, just by looking around her room.

The first thing that caught his eyes was a framed photo sitting on the desk. He picked it up to look at it and was surprised to see that it wasn't a photo of her mother (as he thought it might've been), but instead a photo of her and Mori. Kyouya raised his eyebrows at the position they were in. With any other members of the Host Club, this would've been normal, but with Mori….

Haruhi was leaning against Mori's chest, an arm wrapping around him. Her smile was huge, and quite adorable. But, Mori's arms were also wrapped around her, obviously holding her very tightly, and he had a very content look in his eyes.

Kyouya stared at the photo for a minute longer then placed it back where it had been. He went to meet Haruhi in the kitchen.

She looked up when he came in. "The tea's ready; I was about to bring it in," Haruhi said, placing a tea cup and a small teapot on a tray.

"There's no need; I've finished going over your essay."

"Really?" Haruhi sounded surprised.

Kyouya nodded. "There's nothing to fix. It's fine the way it is."

"Are you sure?"

He nodded again.

"Well, would you still like the tea? We could sit and catch up…"

Kyouya was about to decline, but then thought better of it. "All right."

* * *

Moments later, the two of them were seated, each with a steaming cup of tea and a plate of rice crackers between them.

"How's college?" Haruhi asked, breaking the ice.

"Fine. There's more work, but that's not too bad." Kyouya took a sip of his tea. "How long have you and Mori been together?"

Haruhi nearly choked on the cracker she'd been eating. "W-what?"

Kyouya repeated the question.

"About six months," Haruhi said slowly. "How…how did you know?"

"I saw the photo on your desk."

"Please don't tell anyone, Kyouya. Mori doesn't want anyone to know; something about his family disapproving. I'm not sure exactly what."

Kyouya nodded, understanding. Mori's family was probably eager to continue fitting in with the upper-class society, so of course they'd frown upon Mori dating someone outside of his social status.

He smiled suddenly; just his usual small smile. The thought just occurred to him: what would happen when Tamaki found out?

* * *

END

* * *

I know, surprise ending. But, it's what I've had planned from the beginning.

Now, I may or may not add a little side story with Tamaki's reaction; no promises, though.

I hope you enjoyed this story, and please leave some constructive criticisms.


End file.
